*Former league-phase foes renew hostilities in the final four
Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain engage in a blockbuster battle in Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg at the Emirates, both dreaming of finally ending their excruciating waits for European stardom.
Mikel Arteta’s men outwitted, outfought and out-classed Real Madrid in the quarter-finals to earn a two-legged tussle with the French champions, who ended Aston Villa’s dreams of continental glory in the last eight.
As glass-half-full Real Madrid supporters allowed themselves to get preoccupied with thoughts of a remarkable remontada, Arteta’s Arsenal had one goal in mind; play Carlo Ancelotti’s men off the park on their own patch and end Los Blancos’ latest reign of European dominance.
The Gunners did exactly that and then some in the Spanish capital, following up a tremendous 3-0 home win in the first leg of their quarter-final with an arguably more impressive 2-1 success at the Bernabeu, sealing a scarcely believable 5-1 aggregate win over the most successful team in the history of the competition. And they deserved it.
With no recognised striker and no Gabriel Magalhaes attacking set-pieces, Arsenal wore a large underdogs sticker for their battle with Los Blancos, but the Gunners defied their absences to make the Champions League semis for just the third time ever, and the first time since 2009.
Having lost to Manchester United that year, three seasons after final heartbreak at the hands of Barcelona, the North London giants hold a 50% success rate from previous UCL semi-finals, but there is no doubting the Gunners’ credentials as genuine contenders for a long-awaited crown.
Indeed, Arteta has overseen a magnificent eight-game unbeaten run in the 2024-25 Champions League – the hosts’ longest such streak since a 12-game sequence in 2005-06 – while they coincidentally enter Tuesday’s game unbeaten in 12 in all competitions, winning six and drawing six.
However, Arsenal’s frequent inability to cling onto leads came back to bite them yet again in Wednesday’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Crystal Palace – one that put Liverpool a single point away from title glory – and nine stalemates while leading in the 2024-25 English top flight is more than any other side.
Such frailties must be exposed by PSG lest Luis Enrique’s men risk the same fate as soon-to-be-dethroned champions Real Madrid, but Les Parisiens do not cower when the British are coming, having taken down two of Arsenal’s Premier League rivals in quick succession.
Arne Slot’s Liverpool and Unai Emery’s Aston Villa were both no match for Les Parisiens’ young, vibrant squad over two legs, although a 3-2 second-leg loss to the latter in the quarter-finals – inconsequential as it may have been – proved that the capital giants are not immortal.
If PSG’s recent Ligue 1 travails are anything to go by, that beating at Villa Park knocked them for six; in their three domestic games since, they have scraped a 2-1 win over Le Havre, drawn 1-1 with Nantes and lost their Invincibles status in a shock home loss to Nice on Friday night.
Enrique’s men can afford to take their eye off the ball domestically with their customary Ligue 1 title already in the bag, though, and by at least managing to hold Nantes to a two-goal stalemate on April 22, they are now on a sensational 18-game scoring streak away from home in all competitions.
However, Les Parisiens’ attack was stunted in a 2-0 league-phase loss to Arsenal at the Emirates back on October 1, a result that extended Arsenal’s run without defeat against PSG to five matches since their inaugural meeting.
In fact, PSG have never faced another team on more occasions in European competition without ever winning than Arsenal, who must repeat their Real Madrid trick in front of a fervent Emirates if they are to stand a chance of butting heads with Barcelona or Inter Milan on May 31.
Long-serving Arsenal lynchpin Thomas Partey was given an earful by Declan Rice at the Bernabeu, and rightly so, as the Ghana international had just picked up a needless yellow card that rules him out of Tuesday’s first leg through suspension.
Partey’s punishment is especially problematic given that Arteta’s only other true number six – Jorginho – may be out for the season with a chest injury, so Rice will likely have to drop deeper as Mikel Merino starts in the left-eight role.
That scenario is dependent on Merino shaking off an unspecified concern, but the Spaniard is expected to be given the green light to make the squad, and the same can be said of Ben White (knee).
However, Riccardo Calafiori is a much bigger doubt owing to his own knee concern, while Gabriel (hamstring), Kai Havertz (hamstring), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), Gabriel Jesus (ACL) and Jorginho (chest) will watch on helplessly.
On the other hand, key to PSG’s progression in Europe has been a clean bill of health, and Enrique is once again expected to have every single player at his disposal for the trip to the Emirates.
The ex-Barcelona boss did not hesitate to go full strength against Nice, and the bulk of that starting XI ought to be retained despite the dissatisfactory result, although Bradley Barcola will be banging on the door to take Desire Doue’s spot.
An astounding season for Ousmane Dembele has seen the Frenchman register 44 direct goal involvements from 44 matches – 32 of his own and 12 assists – but his powers have waned in recent weeks and he is now without a goal in six straight games across Ligue 1 and the Champions League.
